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Trades are a cold reality of the NBA. One day, a team is paying you a hugesalary for your services, and the next they are telling you thanks, but nothanks ó we can do better. Then of course comes the relocation hassle andthe burden that can place on families.

For Leandro Barbosa, however, being traded from the Toronto Raptors tothe Indiana Pacers was a welcome change. ďIt was my time,Ē he said, ďandIím happy to be here.Ē

It also usually helps the transition process when the player isnít blind-sidedby the news. Barbosa foresaw moving on. ďI kind of knew,Ē said Barbosa.ď[Raptors GM] Bryan Colangelo told me Indiana was really interested,and he told me that it was maybe going to happen.Ē

Then, on the day of the trade deadline, it did. And now the 29-year-old,long-armed combo guard from Sao Paulo, Brazil ó the largest city inSouth America ó once again gets to do what he made his NBA name off:being a key scorer off the bench for a playoff team.

Individually, his time in Toronto was marked by unusually erratic (for him)shooting accuracy and struggles through a chronic wrist injury. But worsewas the teamís futility. During his two years as a Raptor, his team rackedup 102 losses compares to just 62 wins. This, for a guy who made theWestern Conference Finals with the Phoenix Suns in his second season andwon the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award for the 61-win Suns in 2006-07.

In that respect, Barbosa is just happy to be headed back to the playoffs.ďIím very happy to be here,Ē said Barbosa. ďItís a good team. Itís a teamthat is going to the playoffs for sure. I love the coach and the organization.Itís a good opportunity for meóa new family for me.Ē

Leandrinho, as he is called in his native Brazil, missed 8 of his 10 shotslast night in Indianaís loss to the Suns and blew 3 of his 4 attemptsagainst the Wizards the night before. But in his Pacers debut last Tuesdayagainst the Clippers, Barbosa scored 9 points in his first 9 minutes in anIndiana uniform and finished the game scoring 12 on 10 shots.

The key thread in all performances has been putting up a lot of looks.

I canít explain how it happened, I canít say I expected it to happen. But I cansay Iím enjoying it.

Some how, while being the most enjoyable to watch Milwaukee Bucks forwardsince Toni Kukoc left town, Mike Dunleavy has been one of the best offensiveplayers in the NBA over the past month. Heís kind of playing like Kukoc, if onlyKukoc was just leaving his prime rather than a few years past it when he wasin Milwaukee. Thatís a lofty compliment coming from as big a Kukoc fan as me.

In the month of March, Dunleavy has averaged 16/4/4 while shooting betterthan 50%, one of only three players (as far as I can tell) to do so. The othertwo? Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. Wow. Dunleavy joins James again asone of the leagueís top 10 players in True Shooting Percentage, a measurethat takes into account field goals, threes and free throws.

Dunleavy isnít forcing his athleticism down the throats of opponents in theway that James and Wade are though. Rather heís using his opponents speedand athleticism against them quite frequently. If I had a dollar for everyoccasion this season that Dunleavy has pump faked and watched a defenderfly five feet past him trying to block his shot as he calmly took anotherdribble forward and knocked down his shot Iíd be a rich man.

And where James and Wade drive and dish and throw full court lobs to eachother, Dunleavy has a more cerebral approach to moving the ball on offense.Heís quick and heís smart. Never does the ball linger in his hands. He comesoff screens and when he pulls up to shoot he often has an eye on the manrolling to the hoop. While heís in the air he has the ability to use his heightand make the pass to the rolling screener or pull-up for a jumper himself.On the wing or on the pick and roll, he makes decisions quickly. Even thoughhe hasnít fared particularly well as a shooter in pick and roll situations, heísshown an ability to create for his teammates and find the screener rollingto the hoop.

The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to avoidingtheclowns For This Useful Post:

Re: 3/24/2012 Game Thread #47: Pacers Vs. Bucks

Looking forward to the game tonight. The Monta trade was brilliant for the Bucks. All they needed was some offense and having Monta opens up the court for everybody. I'm not sure if they'll make the playoffs or not, but they're a much better team now than they were a couple weeks ago IMO.

Re: 3/24/2012 Game Thread #47: Pacers Vs. Bucks

Should be a good game.... yes the trade gave them a great scorer.... but they got rid of their big 7 foot anchor... id like to see a heavy dose of roy hibbert tonight.

Bogut was never the same after his injury. Bucks also picked up a lottery pick from a couple years back in Udoh who's a really good post defender. If they can resign Monta, I'd say the Bucks won that trade.

I agree though, they're still weak in the front court. Hibbert should get the ball every time down tonight.

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Re: 3/24/2012 Game Thread #47: Pacers Vs. Bucks

Wells

Center Kyrylo Fesenko, who the Pacers signed last week, won’t make his debut with the team for about a week. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said Fesenko has some visa issues to get resolved before he’ll be able to play. “He’ll be able to work with us, but he won’t be traveling to road games,” Vogel said. “He’ll be working with our strength and conditioning coach getting some shots up working on those sort of things.”